Is the WL transportation really that bad???

[JJustin8080]

After reading so many threads about the WL transportation and how bad it CAN be, it makes me think twice about staying there even with a car. We sometimes enjoy using the disney transportation system even if we have a car because we dont have to worry about driving and parking. But if we choose to use the busses one day, we dont want to go to the stop and wait 30 to 45 minutes like some people have said just to get on. From those of you with experience, is it consistently bad? Any help would be appreciated. =)

~Justin

 

[Claire L]

Justin,
Got back and Friday and have no complaints!! Just remember that most buses go on the hour or half hour (unless delayed!). We never had to wait anymore than 15 minutes at the hotel.
Claire

 

[WDW2000]

I was there last summer and never waited more than 10-15 minutes for a bus. I think at one time the transportation at WL was not so good, but I've only heard good things lately.

 

[jldriscoll]

I know I will be shot down here when I say......

I thought the transportation was fine when we were there. It was a Dec. stay so there weren't tons of people. That might make a difference.

When are you going?

We took both the bus and boat to MK and the bus to MGM and DTD with no complaint.

I will say if you are in a RUSH it might annoy you, I mean they DO have to pick up other people, but we never waited more than 10 min to get on the bus or boat and the the drive was as long as it took to get to our destination.

We found the boat pleasant and even took it to CR for some PS at CM.

Comparing it to the trasportation we had at PO-FQ, and back when we stayed at GF, I's say it was all about equal. (Except for the monorail of course )

 

[JDY]

My DW and I honeymooned there in '98. We never had a problem with transportation. We never waited more than 10-15 minutes for a bus or boat!

You'll have a great time!

 

[Roll-Tide]

I'm afraid I'm going to be the one to be negative with the WL transportation. While we did not wait long for the buses, it took a long time to get to your location due to sharing the bus with FW. Going to MGM was not too bad of a problem. We were picked up first, then FW, then off to MGM. We had a terrible experience going to Animal Kingdom. We were picked up first, then FW, then we dropped of people at BB, then finally AK. On the return trip back: We stopped at BB and waited for a VERY long time for those who wanted on the bus, then FW, then finally back to WL. It took 45 minutes. I was ready to scream. After that, we began driving everywhere. We never rode the bus to MK, we tried the boat and that was a bad experience. First of all the boats do not begin running to MK until 8:30. So if you have an early breakfast PS, you better find another way. The boats pick up first at FW and let me tell you, there are a ton of people there and they fill the boats up. When they made it to WL, it was so full the captain would only let 15 people on the boat and the WL people always had to stand. It took about 3 trips with the boats before we finally made it on. I was so aggrevated. Also, if you do an e-night, the boats stop running at 10:30. You will have to catch the monorail to the TTC, then wait for a bus to take you to WL, and once again, you are sharing with FW and a lot of people stay there! So those buses fill up fast. That night it took us nearly an hour to get home.

So you can see why we ended up driving everywhere. I completely gave up on their transportation! While the resort itself is nice, the transportation is hurting it (in my opinion). We won't be staying there again.

I hope this helps.

Kim

 

[corndog]

It was our experience that only the bus transportation was bad. We found the boat transportation to be "a dream".

 

[LisaNJ25]

Does any one know what time the busses start running? I was hoping the boats left earlier than 8:30

 

[jldriscoll]

Not sure HOW early, but they were running early enough when we were there to get us to TTC to take the resort monorail to MK for PS at CRT at 8:30.

 

[pennyplanner]

Being the person who likes to worry, now I am fretting over the bus/boat situation at WL. We stay there because it is so relaxing and really a lovely place. We don't ever have a car at our disposal. One of the real perks about WDW is not having to drive anywhere for the week!!!

It is very frustrating to wait a long time when you are tired and wanting to go back to your resort. The early boat to MK also sounds frustrating.

With that said, how do we e-mail or what number do you use to call to express our concerns about this sharing situation with the Wilderness Campground? All the people staying there probably share the same concerns.

Thanks for the info,
penny

 

[Bim-muv-fab]

I guess it really does depend on when you go. It seems that during the busy times, it can take quite a bit to get to where you want to go. We stayed at the WL the week after Thanksgiving and the boat to MK never had any more than 10 people on it and the busses were never full. I remember going to the bus stop one day and there was a line of about 15 folks and we thought that was a lot of people!

 

[Mickey1]

We have never had a problem with the transportation at the WL. I actually think the boat ride is very relaxing......I hope you do stay there and enjoy it! The resort has sooo much to offer!

 

[DisneyFreaks]

We stayed at WL last year and we found the problem was not getting to the theme parks but trying to get back from anywhere else. It took us almost three hours to get back from Downtown Disney one night. We felt like guests staying here are just forgotten lol. But we never waited too long for the busses or boats to the parks. And there was also another boat you could take to the CR if the Magic Kingdom launch was crowded. It was smaller but very nice.

 

[monorailsilver]

I stayed there in June one year and in Feb another year. The time I went in June the Bus/boat wait wasn't too bad. But when I went in Feb, that was another story. We waited for ever for the bus and the boat. We almost walked from the TTC to the WL one night after the park closed because we didn't want to wait for another bus again.

But regardless, it is relaxing to know you don't have to drive for the vacation. And the boat is always fun.

Kerri~35 days til I'm at the Polynesian!

 

[NJ3]

Count us as another family who appreciated the boats to MK. The FW stop never seemed to take more than a few extra minutes. One night (on our way to Illuminations), we left at 8:35, were dropped off at Contemporary and took the monorail to Epcot. We made it with time to spare. I remembered most trips taking us straight to/from WL to MK. We did not take the busses although we heard that they provided reasonable transportation to the parks. We found, however, that driving our rental car to and from MGM and Animal Kingdom was very convenient because of the signs directing us to the parks and out of the parking lots.

 

[chatty]

This is not a deciding answer buy no means..
The DH won't go back to the WL because of the Transportation! He said the TTC is a pain and the long waits and bus rides were ridiculous.
Now I on the other hand ADORED the WL. I thought the Transportation was just fine?
Maybe it didn't bother me the little longer wait or ride or the TTC stops, The BEAUTY of the WL is BREATHTAKING and we were treated so nice.

Chatty

 

[skiwee1]

I think the transportation is pretty bad. The worse we experienced was when MK was closing for the night. We waited 90 minutes for a boat! There were hundreds of people waiting and waiting. The boats do not pick up during the Electric Parade so if MK closing happens to coincide with the timing of the Electrical parade then forget about ever getting back to the WL any earlier then 2 hours after MK closes. I felt sorry for the people at the end of the line. We were the first to board the boat and we had already been waiting 90 minutes. They had at least another hour waiting for another boat before getting back to the lodge.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

You brought back a forgotten memory skiwee1. I remember waiting on the dock for that boat one night when it started raining. I think we waited at least an hour and a half before a boat came that had room for us. There weren't enough seats inside and we were so tired from waiting so long after a long day at MK that we actually took the seats on the outside front of the boat and rode back to WL in the pouring rain! We laughed about it after but it wasn't very funny at the time.

 

[mat2672]

I think the only time that would concern me about the transportation is just as the magic kingdom is closing. I do recall that the lines would get pretty long for the boat, but doesnt that happen for the most part with all of the non-monorail resorts? It seems to me that that particular time was always bad no matter what resort you were staying at. As far as the bus transportation, ive never been at a resort where it was always perfect and on time and ive stayed plently of times at many of the resorts. I think the boat ride at wl is great. And I dont remember having to wait too long for any of the buses. I think people judge wl transportation too harshly. Im not doubting anyone when they speak of a horrible time that they had with it, but I think for every complaint, youll have 5 that say it was fine. You have to also remember that people will be much more inclined to write about a bad transportation experience than they would about a good one, so it may just seem that you only hear negatives about the wl transportation. Think about it, am I really going to write that during my stay that the buses were always on time? No one would care, but the bad experiences that people have will jump out at you. The resort is great and I wouldnt let the inconvenience of having to pick up Fort Wilderness people stop me from staying there again.